Category: Council Summary

January 31, 2019

The SOGS Annual General Meeting will be on Tuesday, February 12th, 6:00pm, North Campus Building, room 117. Bring your Western ID!

The next council meeting will be on Thursday, February 28th, 6:00pm, Middlesex College, room 110.

Speaker’s Corner will happen before every council meeting, Thursdays at 4pm in the Grad Club.

Announcements:

The SOGS Presidential Election campaigning period is now open. CRO, Madison Bettle is organizing a Q&A with both candidates on Wednesday, January 30 afternoon in MC 105B – time TBD. PLease watch for an announcement. The polls for voting will be online Feb 4-5. You’ll receive notice from the University Secretariat with a link to vote online.

SOGS Annual General Meeting will be on FEBRUARY 12 in NCB 117 at 6 pm.

Councillors are not required to attend; Committee Chairs and Commissioners, however, are required to attend to present their reports.

All SOGS members are welcome to attend. Bring your WesternOne ID to check in at 5:30 pm.

Does your department host wellness events or outings? SOGS offers the Wellness Joint Fund for departments to help support wellness events for graduate students on and off campus. http://sogs.ca/wellness-joint-fund/

WINTER GAMES on University Hill event. Free! February 6 from 3:30-5:30pm. Snow person and snow angel making + hot beverages + winter fun and self-care.

CFS will be at the Grad Club February 12 and 13 from 10am-4pm to meet with SOGS members and talk about their campaigns AND to issue ISIC cards.

CFS will be hosting a COFFEE HOUSE event February 13 at the Grad Club from 5pm-8pm. Bring your poetry and spoken word!

Tubing at Boler Mountain – February 23. TIME/COST TBA. Tickets will be made available in the SOGS office.

Motions – Summary and Outcomes:

VP of Finance Motion: The motion to approve the 2019-2020 SOGS and Grad Club budgets was passed by council. The full budget breakdown can be found in the council report appendix here. In light of the Ford government’s January 17th announcement regarding student fees, councillors are encouraged to speak to fellow members about what SOGS is and provides, the awards they can apply for, the events they can attend, and the causes they can support.

Finance Committee Motion: The motion to accept the updated Finance Committee policy was passed by council. This update more accurately reflects the duties and responsibilities of the Finance Committee, acting as a useful template for future policy documents.

SOGS President Motion: The motion to strike an ad hoc committee to study SOGS’s structure and that of other graduate student societies in Canada, and for that ad hoc committee to maintain an arms-length relationship with the current executive while adopting the terms of reference outlined in the report, was passed by council. The committee shall have a maximum of eight voting members, elected from the SOGS membership by SOGS Council at the February 2019 Council. The SOGS Ombudsperson will act as ex-officio, non-voting member, and a committee chair will be elected amongst its members.

VP of Advocacy Motions: Two motions from the VP of Advocacy were passed. The first motion regarded writing a letter to the President, Provost, and Chair of the Board of Governors of Western in support of the project to development a general space for Indigenous graduate students. It is important for SOGS to take action and support the needs of Indigenous students, who should have a safe space on campus. The second motion regarded updating the Commissioner Bylaws, so Commissioners report twice per academic term, as well as report to the VP Advocacy prior to the Council package report submission date. This motion is to improve our current reporting methodology, keeping everyone in the process accountable.

Bylaws Committee Motion: The motion to include new Bylaws regarding Presidential nominations was passed. The Bylaws now reflect, In the event that a second nomination period is required for the presidential election, the online polling shall be conducted by the CRO, with assistance from the DCRO, no later than the third full week in March. No access shall be granted to the results of the on-line polling during the election, by any member or employee of the Society, with the exception of the CRO and the DCRO. The CRO and DCRO must verify daily that the on-line polling station remains operational, with the CRO taking ultimate responsibility.

This summary is provided to increase transparency, and to support Councillors in completing their obligations under Bylaw 2.3.5; “shall regularly communicate with his or her constituents concerning the activities, programs, and decisions of the Society”. If you have any questions, please contact our Communications Administrator (sogs.communications@uwo.ca) or the Speaker (speaker@sogs.ca).

As always, check out our website (www.sogs.ca) and follow us on Facebook (@Western.SOGS) and Twitter (@WesternSOGS) for communications, updates, and information about upcoming events!

When or how does the university intervene if someone is interfering or preventing another from their freedom of expression?

Response: The University only needs to intervene if protest, etc. is preventing someone’s freedom of expression. It is important to note that this is not intended to stop anyone from protesting.

Why are the University of Western Ontario Faculty Association and the Clinical Teachers Association named in the last paragraph and not other groups with collective agreements?

Response: These collective agreements are provided as examples because they discuss academic freedom in detail.

Motion for Ad Hoc Freedom of Expression Presentation committee:

A motion was brought forth from the floor to form an ad hoc committee that would organize presentations on the subject of freedom of expression, related political trends and academic concepts, and the responsibilities and standards that students, academics and citizens should hold themselves to.

Some of those in attendance voiced their support of this idea, but the meeting did not have quorum and we were unable to vote on the motion.

The Speaker recommended to bring this motion to November council.

Questions and discussion of what would happen in the event of a UWOFA strike:

If no agreement is reached, you will receive an email notifying you of a labour disruption (do not assume there is a strike if it hasn’t been communicated).

In the event of a labour disruption:

GTAs and any other contract workers who are not members of UWOFA would be expected to continue with any duties outlined in their Duties Specification Agreement, but should not take over responsibility for the professor’s duties.

There would be no disruption to GTA salaries or to non-TA employment that is covered by a valid, signed contract.

Those in courses would continue with readings and expect to hand in assignments. Do not assume that there will be a change in the course calendar unless you receive notification otherwise.

Those scheduled to defend their dissertation or thesis would be re-enrolled for the next term with TDO status (so would not need to pay any additional tuition).

We’re looking for a SOGS representative to sit on the University Biosafety Committee. The Biosafety Committee meets once a year and our next meeting is on November 9, 2018, at 10:30 am in the Support Services Building room 4220. This will be announced at the General Meeting next week and included in the SOGS newsletter.

The nominees for SOGS Chief Returning Officer (CRO) and the Appeals Review Commission (ARC) were incorrectly ratified/elected at last night’s council. The election for these positions is to take place at November Council. Apologies from SOGS Speaker who is addressing the issue with the nominees. Details about the Call for Nominations to follow.

Call for Nominations

SOGS Chief Returning Officer (to be elected at November Council)

Appeal Review Commission members (to be elected at November Council)

Elections

Several elections were held this month at Council. Congratulations to our new VP Finance Steven Janisse, our returning Accessibility Commissioner Martin Ross, our new Indigenous Commissioner Danielle Robinson, our new Pride Commissioner Brody Clement-Thorne, our new Women’s Commissioner Jaclyn Reed. Thank you to the members who volunteered to serve on the Graduate Education Council, and numerous SOGS Committees and to those who were nominated to serve as SOGS Chief Returning Officer (CRO) and on the Appeals Review Commission (ARC).

Motions – Summary and Outcomes:

BCC Motions: Two motions from the Bylaws and Constitution Committee were passed. The motions were with regard to Presidential Election procedures, as well as the formation of the Appeals Review Commission, and were in response to SOGS’ decision to move the Presidential Election to align with the elections for Senate and the Board of Governors.

Letter of Support for UWOFA: A motion was passed asking the SOGS Executive to draft a letter of support for the University of Western Ontario Faculty Association, who will be in a legal strike position in early November and who hope to reach an agreement with Western University before then. Members who wish to submit their own letters may do so here.

Support for BRT: The University Students’ Council had asked SOGS to sign a joint press release addressed to newly-elected city councillors expressing support for Bus Rapid Transit, so the SOGS President brought this request to Council for approval. After a robust discussion, the motion to sign the press release was defeated.

Thesis Completion Fund: In summer 2018, SOGS and PSAC Local 610 ran the Thesis Completion Fund as a one-time initiative to provide some financial support to graduate students beyond their funding period. Council voted to offer the program again in Fall 2018 and Winter 2019 using the remaining funds from the summer.

This summary is provided to increase transparency, and to support Councillors in completing their obligations under Bylaw 2.3.5; “shall regularly communicate with his or her constituents concerning the activities, programs, and decisions of the Society”. If you have any questions, please contact our Communications Administrator (sogs.communications@uwo.ca) or the Speaker (speaker@sogs.ca).

As always, check out our website (www.sogs.ca) and follow us on Facebook (@Western.SOGS) and Twitter (@WesternSOGS) for communications, updates, and information about upcoming events!

The following provides a brief summary of the recent Council meeting on September 27. The complete Council package, which includes the agenda and reports, can be accessed here. Full minutes of the meeting will be available in the October Council package.

This summary is provided to increase transparency, and to support Councillors in completing their obligations under Bylaw 2.3.5; “shall regularly communicate with his or her constituents concerning the activities, programs, and decisions of the Society”. If you have any questions, please contact our Communications Administrator (sogs.communications@uwo.ca) or the Speaker (speaker@sogs.ca).

The next Council meeting will be on October 25, 2018 at 6pm in MC 105B.

New Councillor Orientation: PIZZA! October 18.

If you are interested in running for the SOGS Commissioner positions (Accessibility, Indigenous, Pride, and Women’s Concerns), submit your nomination statements to speaker@sogs.ca by October 18. If you have questions about these positions, contact the Executive or the current Commissioners.

Student Success Centre (Experiential Learning)– What feedback do you have on the co-curricular definitions of teaching assistantship, research assistantship, student government, and professional development?
– Does the curricular typology reflect the opportunities in your program/department?
– Do the typologies accurately capture both the undergraduate and graduate experience?Contact: hwakley@uwo.ca and lisa.dale@uwo.ca to submit your feedback.

Report from VPSS (2015-2018)
VP Bettle submitted her final report for her 3 year-5 month term as VP Student Services. She thanks everyone for all their support over the years! See her 3+ page and transitional manual (draft) in the September Council package.

VP Academic
Graduate student vacation days: discussion about moving it from 2 weeks to 3 weeks. Feedback? Email academic@sogs.ca.
Leave of Absence: Current policy states that students have a maximum of 3 terms. SGPS talking about enforcing this rule. Feedback? Email academic@sogs.ca.SOGS Academic Appeals: VP Academic meets with dozens of students on a regular basis and this is becoming unsustainable. We are looking for

The following provides a brief summary of the recent Council meeting on August 30. The complete Council package, which includes the agenda and reports, can be accessed here. Full minutes of the meeting will be available in the September Council package.

This summary is provided to increase transparency, and to support Councillors in completing their obligations under Bylaw 2.3.5; “shall regularly communicate with his or her constituents concerning the activities, programs, and decisions of the Society”. If you have any questions, please contact our Communications Administrator (sogs.communications@uwo.ca) or the Speaker (speaker@sogs.ca).

The next Council meeting will be on September 27, 2018 at 6pm in MC 105B.

If you are interested in running for VP Advocacy for VP Student Services, submit your nomination statements to speaker@sogs.ca by September 18. If you have questions about these positions, contact the Executive.

AnnouncementsGET EXCITED FORSOGS Orientation (Sept 10-14)! Buy your tickets in the SOGS Office!Graduate Peer Support (GPS) will launch weekly drop-in peer support starting Wednesday, September 19 from 2:30-4:00pm. Email gps@sogs.ca if you have any questions.
Thesis Drop-in on Fridays in the SOGS Office (MC Room 8)!Graduate Student Cookbook Contest! Submit to gps@sogs.ca and post your recipe on social media by September 3 to win!Summer Graduate Student Teaching Award Nomination period is open! Nominate here.Annual International Graduate Student Household Drive – accepting donations until Aug 31. The department with the most donations will win a Night at the Grad Club ($200 Grad Club certificate).
Please help SOGS complete our Department Graduate Student Association/Council list.
Fifth Annual BUG DAY at the Children’s Museum on September 8.
GradCast will be having a recruitment event on October 5.

UpdatesEmpower Me: Councillors are encouraged to still gather feedback from their members. The HPC will aim to collect more information and present it to Council and potentially look into having a public event where Studentcare can present on this program.Graduate Wellness Week (Oct 1-6): The keynote for the Wellness Forum will be the new AVP Student Experience: Jennie Massey. The IGSIC bowling trip needed to be pushed back until the following week.
IGSIC will be presenting its INTL Satisfaction Survey Summary in September.

Whereas graduate students in 2015 SGPS-run focus groups identified the need for grad-specific mental
health resources, greater recognition of student diversity, and informal systems, practices, and “safe spaces” to promote wellness that are not problematized or stigmatized, as well as the need for a formal, top-down cultural shift in graduate school;

Whereas the 2018 Western University’s Mental Health and Wellness Committee identified, among many
other factors, “Culture of Graduate Education” for distinguishing graduate student mental health from
undergraduate;

Whereas recent studies show that graduate students are six times more likely to experience depression and anxiety compared to the general population;

Whereas SOGS needs a dedicated committee devoted to the visibility of graduate student mental health and wellness needs, as well as for the education of the greater Western community, in regards to devoting more resources to graduate students;

Whereas the SOGS VP Student Services has solely, for the last three years, overseen the portfolio of
graduate student mental health;

BIRT SOGS create a Wellness Committee within the portfolio of the VP Student Services in the next fiscal
(2019-2020) year pending the recommendation of the finance committee and the approval of the Wellness Committee funds in the 2019 AGM;

BIFRT the “Graduate Wellness Week” line item within the VP Student Services portfolio be renamed
“Graduate Wellness Committee” to reflect the change.

BIFRT the Finance Committee discuss and make a recommendation to Council in October for how to
proceed with the requested line item changes.

BIFRT should the Finance Committee’s recommendation meet with Council’s approval, that the creation of the Wellness Committee be included in the February 2019 AGM fiscal budget.

Motion 12: VP Student Services and VP Advocacy

Whereas the election of the Vice Presidents to the Society’s executive should align with the completion of the major responsibilities of each portfolio;

Whereas the VPSS portfolio has altered significantly with the placement of the Graduate Orientation Handbook under the Communications Administrator, and the occurrence of Graduate Wellness Week during the first week of October;

The following provides a brief summary of the recent Council meeting on June 28. The complete Council package, which includes the agenda and reports, can be accessed here. Full minutes of the meeting will be available in the July Council package.

This summary is provided to increase transparency, and to support Councillors in completing their obligations under Bylaw 2.3.5; “shall regularly communicate with his or her constituents concerning the activities, programs, and decisions of the Society”. If you have any questions, please contact our Communications Administrator (sogs.communications@uwo.ca) or the Speaker (speaker@sogs.ca).

Announcements

The next Council meeting will be on July 26, 2018 at 6pm on the Grad Clubpatio.
Need SOGS to attend your September Department Orientations? Contact sogs.communications@uwo.ca.
Please help SOGS complete our Department Graduate Student Association/Council list.Graduate Student Cookbook Contest! Submit to gps@sogs.ca and post your recipe on social media to win!
Please share this SOGS Council Summary with your members via email and/or social media.

UpdatesSOGS Orientation is around the corner! Join the Facebook Event page and SHARE WIDELY.
PSAC 610 UHIP Assistance Fund (July 3) – all international students can apply to this!PSAC 610 MEETING WITH PARENT UNION WITH CLC PRESENT ON JULY 24 at 5:30pm in SSC 2050. ALL MEMBERS ENCOURAGED TO COME TO SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL!Thesis Completion FundApplication due July 31, 2018 at 4pm to the SOGS Office (MC, Room 8).
We’re looking for anyone doing research on LGBTQIA+ to share their research at the Pride Parade in July! Contact pride@sogs.ca.
Looking for department-specific graduate student upstander training? Contact Melanie Stone (wcc@sogs.ca), our Women’s Concerns Commissioner who recently ran upstander training for 20 graduate students. Stay tuned for Sexual Violence Awareness Week in October and a “Times Up” event.
Are you a graduate student parent? Contact Melanie Stone (wcc@sogs.ca) to get involved with our Graduate Student Parent Advocacy Group!
Equity Committee will be launching its Annual International Graduate Student Household Drive.Graduate Peer Support (GPS) will launch weekly drop-in peer support starting Wednesday, September 19.
Graduate Wellness Week (Oct 1-6) is planned! Keep an eye on social media for the event page. See last year’s line up if you’re interested! Informal calendar here.
We’re looking for anyone doing research on LGBTQIA+ to share their research at the Pride Parade in July! Contact pride@sogs.ca.
Health Plan Committee: 2017-2018 Survey Results. Please share the Empower Me document with your departments.Campus Rec Survey Results (15-16): in summation: we’re going to be partnering with Campus Rec more!
Athletics Rep working on putting together a roundtable on graduate student use of SRS (Campus Rec).

Whereas the GSTA Committee received over 1000 nominations during the 2017-2018 academic year.
BIRT the motion “all nominees for TA awards receive a certificate that can be added to a teaching Dossier; all nominees for TA Awards receive a copy of anonymized comments pending release by their nominees” passed at Council in January 2016 be amended to read “all nominees for GSTA awards receive a certificate [upon request within 1 year of when feedback was returned] that can be added to a teaching Dossier if nominations are legitimate; all nominees for GSTA Awards receive a copy of comments (anonymized where necessary) pending release by their nominees [via automated e-mail].”

Passed unanimously.

Whereas the 125th Anniversary Scholarship has a deadline on March 30th.
Whereas the 125th Anniversary Scholarship deadline is placed in silo, and does not fit well with the academic terms and other deadlines (ex. Subsidies and Bursaries Application deadline)
BIRT that the official deadline for the 125th Anniversary Scholarship be changed to April 30th.

The following provides a brief summary of the recent Council meeting on May 31. The complete Council package, which includes the agenda and reports, can be accessed here. Full minutes of the meeting will be available in the June Council package.

This summary is provided to increase transparency, and to support Councillors in completing their obligations under Bylaw 2.3.5; “shall regularly communicate with his or her constituents concerning the activities, programs, and decisions of the Society”. If you have any questions, please contact our Communications Administrator (sogs.communications@uwo.ca) or the Speaker (speaker@sogs.ca).

Announcements

The next Council meeting will be on June 28, 2018 at 6pm on the Grad Clubpatio.

SOGS June Elections! If you’re interested in running for VP Academic, please send your nomination to speaker@sogs.ca. If you’re interested in running for SOGS Speaker, please send your nomination to executive@sogs.ca. For more information, see here.

Don’t forget to vote! For more information, check out Elections Ontario.Thesis Completion FundApplication due July 31, 2018 at 4pm to the SOGS Office (Middlesex College, Room 8).
Congratulations to the SOGS GSTA 2017-2018 Winners!Academic Joint Fund has started its new fiscal year!
Women’s Concerns Commissioner will be releasing Graduate Upstander Training and Parenting Advocacy group.
Equity Committee will be launching its Annual International Graduate Student Household Drive.Graduate Peer Support (GPS) will be launching drop-in peer support.
Western and SOGS are aiming to make The Grad Club “zero-waste” by 2050.
Graduate Wellness Week is almost done! If you have ideas of what you’d like to see, contact services@sogs.ca.Happy #AccessAbility Week! Language on grad student accommodations on grad syllabi to come in September. Contact accessibility@sogs.ca.
We’re looking for anyone doing research on LGBTQIA+ to share their research at the Pride Parade in July! Contact pride@sogs.ca.

Elections

SOGS Athletics Representative – Tomas Fabian

Motions Passed

Motions arising from the President/Executive

President

Whereas graduate students pay fees that support sports and recreation at Western;
Whereas the Director of Sport and Recreation Services has expressed interest in increasing collaboration with graduate students;
Whereas communication between SOGS and SRS has proven difficult;
BIRT SOGS elect an Athletic Representative to serve on a 5-month trial basis from June 1, 2018 through October 31, 2018.
BIFRT the Athletics Representative act in a volunteer capacity as a lision between SRS and SOGS;
BIFRT the Athletics Representative provide monthly reports to Council, either in person or in voting.

Passed unanimously.

Whereas the following bylaw changes have been mutually agreed upon by the President of the Society and
the Bylaws and Constitution Committee;
Whereas these changes reflect and clarify the duties of the President of the Society;
BIRT bylaw 2.1.2.13 be amended to read:
2.1.2.13 shall maintain organizational documents that reflect the mandate, operations, and needs of the
Society, and shall update them annually
BIRFT bylaw 2.1.2.15 be revised to read:
2.1.2.15 shall represent the Society as necessary (or designate an appropriate representative)
2.1.2.15.1 at meetings of campus organizations (including, by not limited to, the University Student’s
Council, The MBA Association, the PSAC 610, the UWO Faculty Association and the UWO Staff
Association).
2.1.2.15.2 at meetings with University Administrators
2.1.2.15.3 in any external context, including media and government relations.

Passed unanimously.

VP Finance

Whereas the previous [travel] subsidy form made it difficult for students who were travelling during the
conference deadline.
BIRT Students apply for the travel subsidy in the term of their last day of travel.

Passed unanimously.

Whereas the previous [childcare] form hasn’t asked members to declare other forms of childcare subsidies
BIRT the new form includes a line that asks if members have applied for other childcare subsidies and where
they have applied.

Passed unanimously.

Whereas the travel subsidy form is unclear;
BIRT we include a line on the form that says that preference will be given conference presenters.

The following provides a brief summary of the recent Council meeting on October 26. The complete Council package, which includes the agenda and reports, can be accessed online. Full minutes of the October Council meeting will be available in the November 2017 Council package.

This summary is provided to increase transparency, and to support Councillors in completing their obligations under Bylaw 2.3.5; “shall regularly communicate with his or her constituents concerning the activities, programs, and decisions of the Society”.

GUEST SPEAKER

‪This week is Open Access Week! Support Western University Libraries by finding out more here or asking them questions. Concerns about Elsevier acquiring Bepress? Contact Kristen Hoffmann (khoffma8@uwo.ca). She can provide you a list of additional resources about Elsevier, bepress, and OJS. #OpenAccess‬

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Welcome New Councillors! New Council packages were made available at Council. It is available here: Council Orientation 2017.

As per tradition, SOGS will host a Welcome Reception at the Grad Club after Council for New Councillors.

The next Council meeting will take place on November 30, 2017 at 6pm in UCC 56.

November 9: IGSIC goes to Global Cafe! IGSIC will have a petition created by CFS for INTL graduate students as well as its own INTL Student Experience survey. All INTL graduate students are encouraged to join the IGSIC Facebook group: @Western.IGSIC.SOGS

The following provides a brief summary of the recent Council meeting on September 28. The complete Council package, which includes the agenda and reports, can be accessed online. Full minutes of the September Council meeting will be available in the October 2017 Council package.

This summary is provided to increase transparency, and to support Councillors in completing their obligations under Bylaw 2.3.5; “shall regularly communicate with his or her constituents concerning the activities, programs, and decisions of the Society”.

The following provides a brief summary of the recent Council meeting on July 27. The complete Council package, which includes the agenda and reports, can be accessed online. Full minutes of the July Council meeting will be available in the August 2017 Council package.

This summary is provided to increase transparency, and to support Councillors in completing their obligations under Bylaw 2.3.5; “shall regularly communicate with his or her constituents concerning the activities, programs, and decisions of the Society”.